Romania Hosts IAEA Review of Nuclear Regulatory System

Greg Rzentkowski of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission led an IAEA review of Romania´s nuclear regulatory system.

An international team of senior nuclear safety experts have completed a two-week review of the nuclear safety regulatory framework in Romania. The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission was organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and concluded on 28 January 2011. The IRRS team highlighted effective features of Romania´s nuclear safety regulations and also suggested areas of improvement.

IRRS missions are peer reviews, not inspections or audits, and are conducted at the request of host nations. For the Romanian review, the IAEA assembled a team of 15 international experts from 12 countries. Norway supported the mission with a grant from the Norwegian Cooperation Programme for Economic Growth and Sustainable Development with Romania.

Team leader Greg Rzentkowski of Canada said "the Romanian government is committed to its international obligations, but national arrangements for safety should be enhanced by addressing some urgent issues, such as providing adequate resources to Romania´s regulatory authority. In spite of these concerns, I was impressed to see the great commitment of the ´Comisiei Nationale pentru Controlul Activotatilor Nucleare´/National Commission for Nuclear Activities Control (CNCAN) staff to continuously improve nuclear safety."

Past IRRS missions have been conducted in many nations with nuclear power programmes, including, Canada, China, France, Germany, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The Romanian mission contributed to the growing global participation in the IRRS process, said IAEA team coordinator David Graves. "I´ve been pleased by Romania´s openness and transparency. The country has a strong history of inviting IAEA safety review missions, setting a good example for the international community."